Apparatus for drawing sheet glass



Feb. 23, 1932. R. ARcQ APPARATUS FOR DRAWING SHEET GLASS Fi led Dec. 26. 19:0

casing.

Re errin Patented Feb. 23, 1932 I UNHED "-s'rArEs PATE 1mm: moo, or BRUSSELS, BELGIUM APPARATUS FOR DRAWING- SHEET GLASS Application filed December 26, 1930, Seria1No. 504,877, and in Belgium December 26,

This invention relates to the appratus for drawing sheet. glass of-the kind used in the Fourcault process, in which the drawing takes place vertically during the ascending movement of the sheetof glass.

The object of the'invention is to avoid, in ap aratus of this kind, the disadvantages which result frequently from aloosemng of;

the edges of the sheet; these-edges, when not maintained, get sometimes accidently loose in the inside of the machine, slide along the-annealing casing and break themselves on the ilolaitd or drawing apparatus properly so ca e This results in a loss in thefproduction and also a damage to the edges 0 the float from which the sheet emerges which causes defects in the sheets and a decrease in the quality of the products. 4

With this object in view my invention essentially consists in the special arrangement and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the appended claims.

'Referrmg to the annexed drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view showing dia ammatically, partly in section,

'rangement s the-who e arof the pairs of driving rolls acton the drawing sheet and the cooperation between these driving. rolls, of the apparatus forming the sub]ect matter of the invention, this apparatus being shown in side elevation.

Figure 2 is a view showing partly in section along-line H+H in'Figure 1 and artly in a side elevation, when seen from t e inside of the annealing casing of the machine.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken through line ill- 11in Figure 2. p Figure A is an elevation view of the appa ratus, seen from the outside of the annealing g to the drawings, 1 shows in section one o the side walls of the annealing casing of an apparatus for drawing sheet glass and 2 the driving rol1ers,whioh are arranged by pairs andserve to carry away the sheet glass 3.

These rollers 2 are mounted in the usual manner in bearings draw the sheet of glass the annealing casing,

(not shown) which are where it leaves the usual float or drawing machine properly so called.

As it is well known, are arranged by superposed pairs, do not the edge 4' (Figure 3) of this sheet having a thickness sligh ly larger thanthat of the body of the sheet, so that it is necessary to the rollers'2 which Y 3 on its whole width, 7

provide at the ends of the rollers 2, a part 5 of a diameter slightly smaller than that of the rollers 2. As a result, the edges 4 of the sheet of glass are not maintained and, when they get accidently loose, slide along and may get broken on the float or drawing machine, causing thus the fall of the sheet.

According to' the present invention, in order to avoid this inconvenience, it is made use, between the superposed pairs of rollers 2, or at least above the lower pair, of a device adapted to maintain the edges 4, of the sheet and to preve t their falling down. Thisdevice comprises two small auxiliary rollers 6' preferably covered with asbestos, leaning v the armso8 connected with rods 9 mounted in bearings 10, supported by a cast-iron plate 11, fixed by, any suitable means, for instance by means of bolts 12, to the annealing casing 1, so as to cover an opening '13, provided in that place in the annealing casing. ese rollers 6, the supporting arms 8 of which, form between themselves an angle which is open at its lower part, lean against the edge 4 of the sheet of glass, and may rotate freely with their shafts 7 in the arms 8, in the direction of the upwardmotion of the sheet of. glass 3, that is to say, in the direction indi cated by the arrow M on Figure 2; their rotation in the opposite direction is prevented by a ratchet-wheel 15 carried by one of the shafts 7 and in which engages a pawl 16,"

mounted at the extremity of one of the arms 8 bearing thesh'aft 7; In order to allow these too slide between the latter,

. on these rollers 6, are thrown sheet of glass.

rollers 6 to be drawn apart when necessary, the rods 9 carrying the arms 8, are provided outside of the cast-iron plate 11 with handles 17 allowing. the rotation of the rollers 6 together. with the supporting arms 8 around the rods 9.

The plate 11 is 6, with a man-hole door 19 which can slide on a rod 20.

The plane of tangency which is common to the drawing rollers 2 of the sheet 3 and to the rollers 6, acting on the edges of the sheet, is vertical and passes through the slit of the float or drawing machine properly so called (not shown).

s shown in Figure 3, the rollers 6 are somewhat conical in shape, their largest diameter being adjacent to the lateral wall of the annealing casing 1 ofthe machine, so as to prevent that an edge 4, detached from the sheet of glass above the rollers could 18 normally closed by a point, being smaller than the thickness of the edge of the ascending sheet.

The described device works in the following manner:

When the machine is normally working, the sheet of glass 3 drawn by the pairs of rollers 2, passes between the rollers 6, leaning simply against the edge, and rotating in the direction in the ascending sheet. If, accidentally, an edge 4 of the sheet gets loose be tween two pairs of rollers 2, this edge is maintained by the rollers 6, which are prevented from rotating in the opposite direction by the pawl 16, and

as a result the action of the lower pairs of rollers 2, is rendered easier as regards the carrying with the If the broken edge, coming from the top of the machine, falls on the rollers 6, this edge cannot slide between these rollers because of their conical shape; moreover, these rollers being of a smaller diameter relatively to the large'diameter of the drawing rollers 2, the pieces of glass falling away in the hollow parts of the machine.

The rollers 6 are preferably made of asbestos, in order to secure that the contact with the glass should produce-in the sheet neither stains, nor adherences.

so be Experience has shown that such a device,

not only decreases considerably the break-- age, but furtherprolongs the life of the float or drawing machine properly so called the production as and enables to increase well as to improve the quality of the manufactured pro mens labour easier aridreducmg the num r of workmen.

What I claim is:

1. In an apparatus for drawing sheet glass in combination with the successive pairs of drawing rollers "and with the annealing casing of the apparatus, pairsof auxiliary rollprovided above the rollers auxiliary conicalv'ented to rotate in the space at that rollers,

automatically ducts, while making the workers arranged between the super osed pairs of drawing rollers, and bearing i reely against the edge of the sheet of glass and means whereby the said auxiliary rollers are prevented to rotate in the direction opposite to the direction of drawing of the sheet.

2. In an apparatus for drawing sheet glass in combination with the successive pairs usual drawing rollers extending parallelly on both sides of the sheet of glass and with the annealing casing of the apparatus, pairs of rotatable rollers arranged between the superposed pairs of drawing rollers and bearing-freely against the thickened edge of the heet of glass and means whereby the said auxiliary rollers are predirection of drawing of the sheet.

' 3. In an a in combination with the successive pairs of usual drawing rollers extending parallelly on both sides of the sheet of glass and acting on the major portion of the width of the sheet and ing the said pairs of rollers, pairs of auxiliary conical and rotatable rollers. arranged between the superposed pairs of drawing rollers and bearing freely against the edge of the sheet of glass on that part of the edge which is not maintained by the pairs of drawing and means whereby the said auxiliary rollers are prevented to rotate in a direction opposite to the direction of drawing of the sheet of glass.

4.1 In an apparatus for in combination with the ing rollers extending of the sheet of glass usual pairs of draw parallelly on both sides the annealing casing,'p airs of auxiliary conical and rotatable rollers, said auxiliary rollers, the said arms forming a downwardly open angle between themselves for each pair of auxiliary rollers, means whereby the said auxilary rollers can be displaced apart and prevented to rotate in a direction opposite to the direction'of drawing of the sheet of glass.

. In testimony whereof I have atfixed my Signature.

RENE

pparatus for drawing sheet glass,

with the annealing casing containdrawing sheet glass,-

and acting on the major. portion of the width of the sheet, and with.

means whereby they are a direction opposite to the arms carrying the 

